It may take a bit longer to soak and then cook dry beans, but it’s healthier. Besides instead of using pre-seasoned garbage, I use fresh herbs and organic seasoning and the taste is amazing and natural…the way it should be.

To start off the day, it was Dino’s preschool graduation…sniffles. My big boy is one step closer to kindergarten.

Then we had the leftover rice and beans using them to make nachos…I layered them on tortilla chips with some sour cream and shredded cheese…SO GOOD

First we had Karate…this session was fun. Dino learned how to spar with the other kids. He’s great at kicking and punching and can even take a hit, but needs to learn to block.

This weekend was Hubby’s family camping with his boy scout troop. The same troop he was in as a kid, he now volunteers with and often runs many events. We tried to sleep over with Dino, but with the fire pit so close to our tent, Dino couldn’t sleep. They do skits around the campfire and Dino wanted to go to bed. This is a kid that knows what he wants and when he’s tired he wants to go to bed now. Thankfully the site was pretty close to our home, Dino and I drove back home…in the dark…that sh&t was scary.

Next time we’ll try camping with just the three of us or maybe another family…so Dino could sleep when he wants.

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE. It’s cheep, healthy, and delicious. It takes just like baked ziti…but fills you up. Polenta will take on whatever flavors you mix into it…so it’s perfection.

this was a BIG hit. I seasoned the tilapia with a Whole Food preseaoned mix (garlic and herbs) and once it was in the cast iron skillet, I sprinkled pancake mix on it…giving it a “breaded” feel. Hubby LOVED it and Dino ate it all.

Nothing better than grilled chicken. As always I season the corn and place in a bag…then grill…much better that way. We had two plates of grilled chicken and corn, but I only took a pic of one. A truly healthy meal…full of protein..so it builds muscle and keeps up lean.

We had leftover chicken for lunch-chicken and avocado salad sandwiches… LOVED IT!

so good…after cooking the polenta, I scooped it into the baking pan. Then layered pesto chicken sausage, then sauce, and topped it all with shredded mozzarella cheese. Dino and I loved it…Hubby, well we’ll see if he likes it.

Is there an organic product that you REALLY like or want to try? Have a favorite organic recipe?

Yes, buying organic/NON-GMO is expensive. Until there is a big change in food production and what consumers buy, healthy choices will always be more expensive. If you want to start small with organic…here are some great tips.

12th Thurs Dinner leftovers Love adding avocados to my food…it goes with anything. I sliced some avocados and mixed it with the leftover chicken and potatoes. Then sprinkled on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar…SO GOOD. Dino came home sick, so he hardly ate, poor thing.

13th Fri Dinner Chicken, Couscous, veggiesDino was home sick all day, so by the time I got home Hubby decided to just order sandwiches from our favorite pizza place, Dino got a slice with pepperoni. It took him a while to eat it, but he did.

14th Saturday Dinner– shrimp, asparagus, rice It was exciting to try something new. I seasoned the shrimp with a orange ginger premade seasoning by whole foods. I put them in a cast iron skillet and baked them at 350 for thirty minutes…PERFECTION

Then I cut the ends off the asparagus, coated with olive oil, seasoning, and some fresh herbs. I put them in another cast iron skillet and baked them for about twenty minutes…PERFECTION

I made jasmine rice with the same orange ginger seasoning…the meal was a big hit with Hubby and I, but Dino did not like it at all…NOPE… At least he tried it. Funny, he LOVES eating sushi with me, but did not like the shrimp or asparagus. He was happy with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

15th Sunday Dinner – polenta with veggies I always wanted to try polenta, but was scared. Then I realized how flipping cheap it was…talk about saving money. 2/3 cup only cost me .40c. YES FORTY CENTS! You can either use water or chicken broth, season and boil the polenta. You can leave it in “oatmeal” type form or cut and place in a pan to bake or fry. I decided to bake, it had a crispy outer edge and soft in the middle. PERFECTION. Next time I’m going to try keeping in in a bowl, adding sausage, cheese, and sauce.

YES, I am asking Dino to give me a thumbs up or down for dinners…this way he can let you know if he really likes it or not. He loved the polenta and veggies.

16th Monday Dinner – slow cooked pea soup with ham and carrots Another thumbs up by Dino, but after more than halfway through he said he didn’t want anymore grass. LOLOL. I threw dried peas, ham bone, and carrots all in the slow cooker with water, herbs, and seasoning.

I’ll had either couscous or polenta to the soup to thicken it up.

17th Tuesday Dinner sports skills – take out night We didn’t have sports skills this week, so we had leftover pea soup with palenta. Dino didn’t like it. Sometimes he gets into moods and doesn’t like dinners that I know he likes. Maybe it was too hot for soup, oh well. Then I scooped some palenta into a bowl and put cheese on top. That he liked. Next time I will have to try palenta with sauce and mozzarella cheese.

18th Wednesday Dinner leftovers I wanted to make a bean dish, but forgot to soak the beans overnight. Instead I made a chicken dish. I seasoned two chicken breasts with white wine, shredded coconut, water, and orange ginger seasoning. I added tater tots to the mix. What a great dinner.

I introduced some other snacks to Dino…edamame, chocolate covered almonds, cashews, cacao nibs, vanilla almond granola, banana and fruit granola, and yogurt… he can put a few of those in his yogurt.

Dino HATES the cashews…but loves the chocolate covered almonds. He loved the cheddar puffs, yogurt with cacoa nips, which can NOT be eaten on their own. My dad tried this and was horrified by the taste. It is raw cacao…on it’s own it’s nasty, but adds beautiful flavor to oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, or ice cream, or anything you like.

Dino did NOT like the edamame…sighs…I will keep trying though.

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Yes, buying organic/NON-GMO is expensive. Until there is a big change in food production and what consumers buy, healthy choices will always be more expensive. If you want to start small with organic…here are some great tips.

5th Thurs Dinner Minnesota Wild Rice, chicken and Veggies From the Bulk Section at Whole Foods, I got Minnesota Wild Rice. adding lots of seasoning I followed the directions to cook. It is a chewy type of crunchy, and very yummy. Dino loved eating “WILD” rice and kept shaking his body saying it was making him WILD.

I seasoned the chicken and cut into smaller pieces. Then I added a half a bag of stir fry frozen veggies in with it and sprinkled on some shredded coconut. Yes, I’m in to coconut lately. It came out so darn good…Hubby didn’t like it, but Dino and I did.

7th Sat Dinner: Leftovers We had family over to celebrate Dino’s birthday. It was just a small gathering since we had the kid party last weekend. Since Daddy was working, we just had leftover chicken pork, rice, and veggies. Every Saturday, Dino takes karate. His teacher says he’s a natural, born to learn karate. In just a few weeks he got his second stripe. The teacher thinks next month Dino will be ready to test for his yellow belt.

8th Sun Dinner: Pasta, Sauce, turkeyballs it was a quiet day, stay at home day. Dino loved hanging out in the yard playing with his cars. He chose to eat peanut and butter sandwiches and a popsicle. I still made the pasta, sauce, and turkeyballs, but we’ll have them for Monday. I did make homemade popsicle with him. I bought silicone pop makers. We blended almond milk, bananas, and strawberries then poured them into the pop makers. After freezing them for a few hours, they were delicious.

9th Mon Dinner: coconut chicken, potatoes, carrots Since we had the pasta, sauce, and turkeyballs for dinner tonight, I still had to make the chicken. I sectioned it off and now have to sets of breaded coconut chicken. All I will have to do is make the grains and veggies.

10th Tues Dinner: sports skills – take out: Today was the last day of the sports skills class at the Little Gym. I am going to sign him up for the gymnastics class over the summer. He will truly enjoy that. He was so proud of his accomplishments and loved showing me what he learned. He loves his medal and we always celebrate with pizza and gelato.

Dino loves pepperoni pizza (he eats tons of fruits and veggies that I don’t mind his love of this topping). I prefer the pesto pizza. The best part is, we order the personal sized pizzas, take half for dinner and half for lunch the next day.

11th Wed Dinner: leftoversTonight was coconut chicken, baked potatoes, and carrots. Hubby has down right refused to eat anything organic…saying it tastes yucky. Poor dude has no clue that the “flavor” he is eating is all chemicals created in a lab. All I can do is make sure Dino and I eat healthy and real food.

I marinate the chicken with olive oil, water, coconut shreds, and herbs/seasoning. I coat the chicken in panko and shredded coconut…it just adds a superb flavor. The best part is having it for leftovers with sliced avocado…hmmm..the flavor is awesome. .

I’m going to introduce nuts and granola to Dino. My stomach doesn’t always do great with nuts, but a small dose should be fine and I need more snack ideas for Dino.

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Yes, buying organic/NON-GMO is expensive. Until there is a big change in food production and what consumers buy, healthy choices will always be more expensive. If you want to start small with organic…here are some great tips.

homemade hummus is pretty easy and healthy. I loved making it. Here’s some great hummus recipesI made our hummus with dried chickpeas, I soaked them overnight in TONS of water, cooked them the next day with lots of seasoning then added our ingredients. I added some pesto, cilantro, and dill. Wonder what I will try next time?

31st Sat Dinnerleftovers This was the day of Dino’s birthday party, I was happy to whip up leftovers and eat whatever, but hubby kindly got burgers and chicken fingers form our favorite place. The cake was from Stop and Shop, sadly it was NOT GMO free… IT would have cost too much. The snacks and juice I got for the party were all NON-GMO though.

1st Sun Dinner pasta, sauce, leftover turkey meatballs – Love when I have leftovers I can incorporate into another meal.

2nd Mon Dinner coconut chicken, potatoes, carrots, squash – DID I get a picture of this? NOPE. 3rd Tues Dinner sports skills night AND DINO’s BDAY Dino LOVED going out on his b-day. He chose our favorite pizza place (we had the leftovers for lunch) and had gelato for his bday dessert. He always orders the pepperoni pizza, I got the pesto pizza.

4th Wed Dinnerleftovers Sometimes, leftovers just don’t cut it…and all you want is an apple with peanut butter.

Leslie from Pampers, Play dates, and Parties asked that I show some healthy snacks I have for Dino… Thanks for the idea Leslie

While I want Dino to eat organic and NON-GMO, I know that we still need chocolate and sweets occasionally. If they are made from safe foods then I will buy them.

I always have fruit that Dino can get anytime he wants…bananas, raisins, apples, pears… I love to put peanut butter on anything…

Some of our favorite snacks are…

Yes, buying organic/NON-GMO is expensive. Until there is a big change in food production and what consumers buy, healthy choices will always be more expensive. If you want to start small with organic…here are some great tips.

22nd Thurs Dinner:homemade pizza OOOOPS, forgot to buy shredded cheese and pepperoni for the pizza. Of course our local grocery store didn’t have organic and GMO free cheese and pepperoni, but they did have these pizzas. These were pretty good, but not as great as homemade pizza…but free of harmful ingredients.

25th Sunday – Pasta, Sauce, and turkey meatballs we went to my parents house, and had a wonderful bbq there. My dad’s in the hospital after having double knee surgery, so we visited him.

26th Monday –hot dogs (organic) fries, and mac and cheese had the coconut chicken with leftover rice and veggies

I mixed parmesean flavored panko with coconut flakes and carribean seasoning. I coated the cutlets in the mixture and baked in the oven at 350 for about 30 min. They came out so darn good…so tasty and crispy…and very healthy. Paired with the leftover rice and veggies…what a great meal.

27th Tuesday sports skills…so takeout once again It’s our little tradition and I LOVE it. This time I made the pizza and it was delicious once again.

I have tons of seasoning in the small cabinet above our stove and fresh herbs in our freezer. Buying the grains, beans, and rice in bulk saves a TON of money.

All our snacks for Anthony are organic and GMO free…(I’m running low, the basket is usually fuller than this)

In our fridge/freezer there are still a few items that are Non-organic and filled with GMOS…those are hubby’s. Most of the fruits, veggies, homemade meals, snacks, and condiments are all organic/NON-GMO. Anthony knows he is more than welcome to get fruits, veggies, dried mango slices, cheese sticks, and other healthy snacks.

Eating NON-GMO doesn’t mean no flavor and boring foods. Just THE opposite, you are promised REAL FOODS. Here are some of the NON-GMO foods we have in our home.

Yes, buying organic/NON-GMO is expensive. Until there is a big change in food production and what consumers buy, healthy choices will always be more expensive. If you want to start small with organic…here are some great tips.

LINKING UP WITH:

90% of the time, I cook the dinner/meal the night before. It’s easier that way and saves me time. I also started shopping on Wednesdays before I get Dino from daycare. My meal plans will be from Thursdays to Wednesdays to reflect my shopping schedule. When my schedule changes so will the meal plan days.15th Thurs Dinner grilled chicken, corn, peppers and onions with leftover barley16th Fri Dinner leftover chicken and barley17th Sat Dinner chicken sausage, veggies, and couscous18th Sun Dinner pasta, sauce, leftover meat and porkballs,19th Mon Dinner leftovers20th Tues Dinner Take Out Night/Sports Skills 21st Wed Dinner Rice, Beans, Veggies

8th Thurs Dinner: Corn on the cob, grilled chicken, and barley with veggies. We had parent orientation for kindergarten that night. So I made sure to marinate the chicken and season the corn ahead of time. Hubby just grilled the chicken and corn, and I heated up leftover barley. I was the only one who ate the barley…but the corn and chicken was a big hit.

Seasoning Corn: I melted some butter with seasoning. I rubbed each corn with the butter mixtured then placed it in the freezer bag then put it in the fridge. Before we were going to grill the corn, I ran the bag under warm water to make sure the butter seasongn was all over the corn…so easy and tasty.

9th Fri Dinner:Man, that chicken, veggie, and couscous dish was amazing. We loved it so much that we finished it off on Friday. Well, I have a bit saved for a small chicken salad sandwich!

10th Saturday– chicken sausage, veggies, and couscous: totally forgot I was hanging out with my friend and we were having dinner. Dino had leftover chicken tender and couscous. Sorry no pics

18th Sunday – Pasta, Sauce, and leftover Meatballs: Dino was so hungry he gobbled it all down.

12th Monday –leftovers. I made chicken sausage, jasmine rice, and string beans the night before so we could have it ready for dinner. It was beyond delicious and Dino scarfed it up.

14th Wednesday rice, beans, veggies – trying to save money and use the food in the freezer. Dino and I had leftover pea soup with the rice, chicken sausage, and string beans. It was amazing and perfect.

I won’ be posting pictures of lunches anymore. This week I just kept forgetting to take pics. As soon as I was done packing lunch and cleaning the kitchen, I just wanted to sit down and chill with Dino and Balboa. I will list all our lunches, but not include pics anymore. Dino’s Lunches:

white bread with ham and cheese and mayo

pizza from school

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

chicken salad on bread

tuna salad on bread

Dino’s Snacks:

french toast with mango slices

grilled cheese with orange slices

chips and carrots with hummus

oatmeal with raisins and cranberries

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

Mommy’s Lunches:

white bread with turkey and cheese and mustard

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

tuna and guacamole with chips

chicken and guacamole with chips

chicken salad or tuna salad on bread

Mommy’s Snacks:

cereal with almond milk and either banana or raisins

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

baked artichoke with melted butter

All foods I cook with and eat are NON-GMO verified or organic. It is expensive, but worth the piece of mind. I hope change is coming and REAL FOOD will no longer be expensive. I hope the food industries will all be required to list all their chemicals in food and therefore change their products.

UPDATE:

Vermont is going to be sued by the food industry…because they don’t want to label all the GMOS. This HAS to prove that they are hiding something…if all the ingredients were safe, why would this be a problem?

LINKING UP WITH:

90% of the time, I cook the dinner/meal the night before. It’s easier that way and saves me time. I also started shopping on Wednesdays before I get Dino from daycare. My meal plans will be from Thursdays to Wednesdays to reflect my shopping schedule. When my schedule changes so will the meal plan days.8th Thurs Dinner homemade pizza9th Fri Dinner leftover chicken, veggies, and couscous10th Sat Dinner boneless tilapia, veggies, fries11th Sun Dinner Whole roasted chicken, potatoes,carrots, squash12th Mon Dinner Barley, leftover chicken and veggies13th Tues Dinner Take Out Night/Sports Skills 14th Wed Dinner Rice, Beans, Veggies

8th Thurs Dinner: Using organic pizza crusts, cheese, pepperoni, sauce and herbs I made two pizzas with Dino. I should have gotten pics of Dino helping..OOOPS. He loved his pepporini pizza and I loved my herb pizza.

Dino’s Pizza:

crust

olive oil

leftover sauce

mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend

pepporoni

Mommy’s Pizza

crust

olive oil

leftover sauce

mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend

herbs: cilantro, dill, & parsley

9th Fri Dinner:Man, that chicken, veggie, and couscous dish was amazing. We loved it so much that we finished it off on Friday. Well, I have a bit saved for a small chicken salad sandwich!

10th Saturday– Fish, french fries, squash, I decided to make corn on the cob instead. Using pancake mix, I lightly coated the marinated tilapia and and baked it at 350 for about twenty minutes. I coated the corn with a bit of butter and some seasoning…that was all it needed. I baked the corn at the same temp for about 30 minutes. Everything was cooked in cast iron skillets…which cooks it perfect each and every time.

11th Sunday – Roasted chicken, potatoes, veggies … Hubby’s games were cancelled so he didn’t have to umpire. Instead he grilled for us on Mother’s Day. We had burgers, hot dogs, (Dino and I had my gmo free dogs while Hubby had the unsafe ones), and fries. It was a lovely treat. Sorry, I forgot to take pics.

12th Monday – leftover chicken, barley, mushrooms, and veggies. We had the roasted chicken and potatoes for Monday. It was yummy as always. Dino loves eating the chicken from the bone. Maybe it’s the mess or just the fact that he feels like a big boy. He was going to town on the potatoes too. He ate them as is, wow a healthy boy I have.

14th Wednesday – rice, beans, veggies – After making barley (originally for soup, but keeping it as rice substitute), I added the leftover chicken, potatoes, and some rice. What a filling and tasty meal. I was about to take pics, but forgot. So now I have some rice, chicken, and potatoes left for two small meals. I am saving the leftover barley for Thursday’s dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~LUNCH~~~~~~~~~~

I won’ be posting pictures of lunches anymore. This week I just kept forgetting to take pics. As soon as I was done packing lunch and cleaning the kitchen, I just wanted to sit down and chill with Dino and Balboa. I will list all our lunches, but not include pics anymore. Dino’s Lunches:

white bread with ham and cheese and mayo

pizza from school

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

chicken salad on bread

tuna salad on bread

Dino’s Snacks:

french toast with mango slices

grilled cheese with orange slices

chips and carrots with hummus

oatmeal with raisins and cranberries

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

Mommy’s Lunches:

white bread with turkey and cheese and mustard

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

tuna and guacamole with chips

chicken and guacamole with chips

chicken salad or tuna salad on bread

Mommy’s Snacks:

cereal with almond milk and either banana or raisins

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

baked artichoke with melted butter

All foods I cook with and eat are NON-GMO verified or organic. It is expensive, but worth the piece of mind. I hope change is coming and REAL FOOD will no longer be expensive. I hope the food industries will all be required to list all their chemicals in food and therefore change their products.

UPDATE:

Vermont is going to be sued by the food industry…because they don’t want to label all the GMOS. This HAS to prove that they are hiding something…if all the ingredients were safe, why would this be a problem?

YES, I am now posting about food on Thursdays. It makes sense now that I go to Whole Foods on Wednesdays… This way my meal plan will be from Thursdays to Wednesdays. Though this week’s is a bit longer being the transition week.

90% of the time, I have cooked the dinner/meal the night before. It’s easier that way and saves me time. I also started shopping on Wednesdays before I get Dino from daycare. I will readjusted the days of my meal plan, so that is why this week’s post is a bit longer. From now my meal plan will most likely be from Thursdays to Wednesdays.26th Sat Dinner chicken and barley soup27th Sun DinnerPasta, Porkballs, and Sauce28th Mon Dinner leftovers29th Tues Dinner pizza/takeout30th Wed Dinner Stuffed chicken breast with veggies http://cavegirlcuisine.net/2012/04/14/stuffed-chicken-breast/1st Thurs Dinner chicken sausage, veggies, and Annie’s mac and cheese 2nd Fri Dinner leftover3rd Saturday meatballs (for hubby), pasta and sauce4th Sunday homemade pizza
5th Monday chicken sausage, brown rice, spinach6th Tuesday takeout (sports skills)7th Wednesday leftover pasta with chicken parm

26th Sat Dinner: I made the barley and mushroom soup, but my parents came up. So we went out to the burger place again. My mom liked it, but dad didn’t…but he doesn’t like eating anywhere. At least I had leftovers for another night.

27th Sun Dinner: I made porkballs again…but this time I stuck with my original recipe. I used breadcrumbs and veggies. Dino ate them up, excluding half his pasta. I rather him eat the porkballs instead of the pasta anyway.

ground pork

fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, scallions, dill)

other seasoning based on your preferences

veggies (sometimes whole and sometimes I puree them)

one egg

bread crumbs or quinoa (but my family prefers bread crumbs)

I mix it all up in a bowl, roll into small balls bake at 350 for about 30-45 min depending on size of the pork balls I prefer pork, because it’s not greasy like beef. I tend to break up one porkball and mix it in with the sauce as I simmer it…adds a nice flavor

28th Monday– We had some of the soup tonight. I now have two other soup dinners frozen for a last minute dinner. I LOVE stockpiling meals. I use a cast iron skillet to make my barley soup.

leftover roasted chicken

leftover veggies

fresh mushrooms

herbs (rosemary, cilantro, dill, parsley) and other seasonings

In a cast iron skillet add some olive oil and herbs, saute mushrooms until cooked

Next add barley (usually 1 3/4 cup water for every cup of barley) but I add a bit more to make it into a soup

First boil, then switch to mid-heat and cover…after about an hour the barley should be ready

When done add shredded chicken and veggies

29th Tuesday– It’s sports skills once again, so we had pizza for dinner.

30th Wednesday –

thin sliced chicken breasts

seasonings and herbs of choice

olive oil and water

pancake mix

Annie’s mac & cheese

frozen veggies

I marinated chicken all day coated chicken in pancake mix and placed on cast iron skillet baked at 350 for about 30-40 min (turning chicken over when halfway done)

1st Thursday – We had chicken and mac & cheese leftovers

2nd Friday– leftovers – we had more leftovers…I actually forgot what we did this day, but know I didn’t cook. I don’t know what happened? Maybe I worked out too much, LOL.

3rd Saturday – lMy parents came up again and we went out to eat once again. I swear this doesn’t always happen.

4th Sunday we had the meatballs, pasta, and sauce this night. Whole Foods was out of ground pork, so I had to get ground beef. It wasn’t as greasy as it normally is…so I was happy.

ground beef

frozen mixed veggies

bread crumbs

1 egg

mix all the ingredients, roll into balls and bake @ 350 for thirty minutes. I LOVE Whole Foods’ brand of organic pasta sauce. Still have not gotten sick…more proof that it was the GMOs and not the sauce.

5th Monday I made brown rice with seasoning, chicken and sundried tomato sausage, and spinach. Boy it was SO good. YES, he’s wearing the SAME shirt two days in a row. Try reasoning with a soon-to-be five year old.

6th Tuesday sports skills night…so it’s take out.

7th Wednesday Decided to make seasoned chicken and a California veggie mix. It was so delicious and Dino LOVED it.

Marinate chicken with olive oil and seasoning of choice. I baked the chicken in my cast iron skillet…which kept it moist and flavorful. Then I seasoned the veggies…pretty much the same way. Made buttery couscous, but didn’t include it with the meal…I forgot…but at least it was healthier this way. LOL I’ll just use the couscous in my egg omelets.

~~~~~~~~~~LUNCH~~~~~~~~~~

I won’ be posting pictures of lunches anymore. This week I just kept forgetting to take pics. As soon as I was done packing lunch and cleaning the kitchen, I just wanted to sit down and chill with Dino and Balboa. I will list all our lunches, but not include pics anymore. Dino’s Lunches:

white bread with ham and cheese and mayo

pizza from school

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

chicken salad on bread

tuna salad on bread

Dino’s Snacks:

french toast with mango slices

grilled cheese with orange slices

chips and carrots with hummus

oatmeal with raisins and cranberries

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

Mommy’s Lunches:

white bread with turkey and cheese and mustard

turkey, ham, cheese roll-ups, with guacamole and chips

tuna and guacamole with chips

chicken and guacamole with chips

chicken salad or tuna salad on bread

Mommy’s Snacks:

cereal with almond milk and either banana or raisins

apples, carrots, pears, or oranges

pretzels

cookies

homemade cake or brownies

baked artichoke with melted butter…SO GOOD

All foods I cook with and eat are NON-GMO verified or organic. It is expensive, but worth the piece of mind. I hope change is coming and REAL FOOD will no longer be expensive. I hope the food industries will all be required to list all their chemicals in food and therefore change their products.

HOPEFULLY with Vermont now requiring GMO labels on all “Food” products, other states will follow. New York is now starting the process!

CHANGE IS COMING! Food industries can complain and sue states (which shows they are hiding chemicals in food), but they will have to own up it and tell the truth.

Perhaps if all states DO follow, the big food industries will STOP putting unsafe additives in food, provide healthier choices, and organic will become more affordable and the mainstream food in all kitchens.While I can control what we eat in our home, I can’t control what happens at restaurants or parties. I can bring my own food if I go to relative’s house. I can make sure Dino and I choose the healthier versions of dishes when we eat out. I can’t stop him from eating cake, desserts, and treats at parties. Again, perhaps if there is a change, real food will be the common place instead of processed foods.Hubby will mostly eat what I make, but still buys his processed snacks, frozen dinners, processed soups, and eats fast food fill with I don’t know what. Perhaps…he will make the change too…one day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From now on all the foods that I eat, use for lunches, and cook with are either NON-GMO or organic. Sometimes a food can be organic, but unless it has the seal of NON-GMO then you know for certain it is 100% clean.

I know organic/NON-GMO foods are SUPER EXPENSIVE. It’s sad and ridiculous that we have to pay more for clean food. I work hard to keep my foods within budgets and can find good sales on some items at Whole Foods. Though I save the most by buying from the bulk section.

HOPEFULLY with Vermont now requiring GMO labels on all “Food” products, other states will follow. Perhaps if all states DO follow, the big food industries will STOP putting unsafe additives in food, provide healthier choices, and organic will become more affordable and the mainstream food in all kitchens.

I have been getting into the habit of cooking dinners the night before. It saves me time after coming home from work. I can let it cook in the oven or slow cooker while I eat, play with Dino, get ready for the next day, and do our nighttime routine.

Sat Dinner: I never thought I could have pasta sauce again. Then I started going to Whole Foods and buying their non-GMO products. I was amazed that the next morning I was NOT sick, but feeling great. That just further proves to me that eating clean foods is the way to go.

Sun Dinner:

We had a wonderful Easter at my mom’s house. We had brunch and Dino LOVED being able to run around in a bigger house and yard.

Monday– Since Dino had a karate presentation in daycare, I picked up two slices of pizza and we ate in the car after I picked him up. Then we went back in for his karate show. He of course was the loudest and craziest one, but that is my Dino.

Tuesday– Using dry split peas from the bulk section of Whole Foods and the ham bone my mother gave me from Easter, I made split pea and ham soup. It was DELICIOUS. I added fresh rosemary, cilantro, dill, and parsley, with some other seasonings, as well as carrots and couscous after the soup was done.

Wednesday – We had lefter over soup and pasta. Dino eagerly awaited the pea soup, he scarfed it down again. I tried to get him to dip some bread in it…but he’s not a dipping kind of guy (unless it’s chicken or fries).

Thursday – We had my new favorite…roasted chicken with veggies. I get so much chicken out of this meal…we can make soup, and chicken salads with the leftover.

Friday– leftovers

Instead we went out to our favorite place to eat…Prime Burger…as always it was delicious and hits the spot.

~~~~~~~~~~LUNCH~~~~~~~~~~

I won’ be posting pictures of lunches anymore. This week I just kept forgetting to take pics. As soon as I was done packing lunch and cleaning the kitchen, I just wanted to sit down and chill with Dino and Balboa. I will list all our lunches, but not include pics anymore.

I’ve been doing pretty good with my healthy eating. I lost another 3.2 pounds for a total of 16.4 POUNDS!

After much debating I decided to stop using Peapod. They have been giving me fruit that was not always fresh and I think all their food wasn’t always the best or had the best selections. The fruit and veggies I bought would go bad in a few days each and every time.I will still use stop and shop for seltzer and bottled water, but not on a weekly basis. I decided to use Whole Foods Market (since they were pretty close) and was impressed. I like knowing the foods I choose are not only non-GMOs but also organic fruits, veggies, and meats. It’s amazing to watch the fruits and veggies actually stay fresh and taste better.

Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but it is sad that the healthier and cleaner foods are the most expensive. My eyes have been opened and I can’t believe how sugar and chemicals are in food. It seems the food companies want us sick and overweight. It is beyond scary. Anyway, after lots of research, I found a bunch of ways I can save money with Whole Foods. By creating a set shopping list for each week.

shop the bulk section and pick out the amount of grains, rice, granola, and fresh ground peanut butter I need for the week (what a great idea to only buy the amount you need)

pick the produce (2-3 veggie meals), poultry, meat, and fish (3-4 meat meals) that is on sale and plan meals around that.

stock up on snacks, meats, and cereals that are on sale

use the coupons that I can either print on line or get at the store

buy their brand “365” when possible.

I think I might even be able to take Dino with me next time I go. I’ll feed him in their restaurant area and then let him walk around with me while he’s still snacking. I heard that also offer healthy snacks at customer service for kids. It will be a great teaching opportunity on how to choose foods that are real as opposed to fake foods AND howto stay within a budget but still eat healthy.

***I still have some foods that were not super healthy as I am slowly making the change. I used them for the meals this week. When I post next week, I’ll have even bigger and healthier changes.***

Sunday – LOVE the fresh herbs I got at Whole Foods. Mixed bread crumbs, cilantro, dill, and onions into the breadcrumbs, one egg, and the locally grown ground pork. Then I quickly cooked some peas, carrots, and broccoli in a small cast iron skillet and purred it in the blender and added that to the meatball mix. OH BOY DID IT TASTE BEYOND YUMMY

Then I cut some fresh tomatoes with lots of seasoning and cooked for a bit. I placed cut porkballs, tomatoes and cheese on Italian bread slices and ate. Dino was too tired to eat them, but hoping to use them as leftovers tomorrow.

Monday – Dino and I had leftover pork and veggie balls. I seasoned and roasted fresh tomatoes and mixed it all with gluten free pasta. What a tasty meal.

Tuesday– Dino has “sports skills” at the Little Gym on Tuesdays, so either I have to cook on Monday nights for Tuesday or just continue to order pizza for us. We had our usual favorites. He chose a plain personal pizza and I chose my jazz personal pizza. We ate half and saved half for lunch the next day. Sorry no pics

Wednesday – I love using my cast iron skillet. I seasoned and cooked the chicken in the skillet and had a small bag of chicken broth left over. I swear nothing better then using fresh/frozen herbs in our meals. I seasoned and cooked portobello mushrooms and broccoli then added it to the couscous. Sorry no pic of Dino eating…he was in a picky mood that night.

Thursday – Slow Cooker Steak, rice, and veggies I TOTALLY FORGOT to set up the slow cooker with the steak. I realized this as I drove into the parking lot at work. I could have asked hubby, but it’s just easier to do it for the next day. So we had leftover gnochi and pork casserole and Italian bread pizza.

Friday – using leftover chicken and broccoli from Wednesday’s dinner, I used it in the quesadilla.